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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. staff — employees
  3. can — a tin
  4. branch — a division
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stem — to come from
  7. staff — employees
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. staff — a stick
  12. board — to get on
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. board — a committee
  17. bank — for money
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bank — for money
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. bank — of a river

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com